Another round of severe storms. Freezing temps. Here’s the latest MS Coast forecast

Heavy rain and strong winds pounded the Mississippi Coast this week, and now, forecasters warn storms will rumble in again on Friday and temperatures next week will drop below freezing.

The threat began Thursday. The National Weather Service said isolated severe storms were possible beginning at 7 a.m., but the biggest risk comes after sunrise Friday morning.

Forecasters warned winds, hail and a tornado are possible across Southeast Louisiana and South Mississippi. Coast residents should watch the forecast closely Friday morning before they leave for work or school, said Lauren Nash, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service in Slidell.

“Down here in the South,” Nash said, “tornadoes are almost always possible if we get any kind of severe weather.”

The storms will arrive with a cold front. Temperatures Friday night could drop to around freezing and Monday night lows could reach the mid-to-lower 20s, Nash said.

The Weather Service does not know yet if it will snow.

“We’re waiting to see,” Nash said. Snow is not in the forecast but depends on how much moisture enters the air.

The late-week forecast follows weather that hit South Mississippi on Monday with heavy rain and wind that closed schools and government offices early, flooded 125 streets in Hancock County and left over 2,000 customers without power across the six coastal counties.

Severe weather also barreled across much of the country this week after a storm system sent blizzards and flood warnings to the Midwest and Northeast, and four people died after thunderstorms, winds and several tornadoes swept across the South on Tuesday.

None of those deaths came in Mississippi, which seemed to avoid the system’s worst impacts. The National Weather Service confirmed a tornado with 80 mph winds hit Assumption Parish in South Louisiana Monday afternoon.

In South Mississippi, there is a slight risk of damaging winds and tornadoes on Friday, the National Weather Service said. The risk of flooding rain and large hail is minimal.

The cold weather extends through Wednesday as frigid air rushes south from the Arctic and plunges regions from south Texas to the central Gulf Coast below freezing Monday night.

Friday night’s low in Gulfport is 33 degrees. The low Monday night could reach 27 degrees.

Nash warned residents to keep pets inside and check on neighbors and relatives who do not have heat.

“We’re probably going to be below normal for quite some time,” she said.

Mary Perez contributed reporting.

This story was originally published January 11, 2024 at 5:00 AM.